MN HF627

The Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) board must develop a statewide model policy on eyewitness identification best practices by November 1, 2020, and distribute it to all chief law enforcement officers.

The model policy must require lineup administrators to be unaware of the suspect's identity, or use a photographic lineup preventing the administrator from seeing which photo the witness views.

Eyewitnesses must be instructed before the procedure that the perpetrator may or may not be in the lineup, and nonsuspect "fillers" must be substantially similar to the witness's description of the perpetrator.

All state and local law enforcement agencies must adopt and implement a written eyewitness identification policy identical to or substantially similar to the model policy by February 1, 2021.

The law does not affect the admissibility of evidence or standards governing evidence admissibility under the United States or Minnesota Constitution.